refreshed. refilled. revitalized. resolute. and ready.

dear friends.
here i sit in panera, drinking coffee and mostly killing time before i run some errands and then head back down to indianapolis. it has been a very long, but VERY good three-week christmas break. and i still have some time before real life begins next week.
it's been a WHILE since i've updated, and i am going to make a concerted effort to do better at this ("libby, i've heard it before," you say. and you would have a point. fair enough)
i'd like to give you the highlights of christmas break '09.

1. Meeting Mia for real. I was at the hospital when she was born, but she took so darn long to come out that we pretty much left as soon as she arrived. she is one month and one day old. and honestly, the best baby. i think i heard her cry twice in all the time (about a week) they were staying at my parents' house. and also, the girl likes fleece. she wears it often, and she wears it well. she cries when she's NOT wearing it. who wouldn't, when your other option is a uniform? smart kid, i tell you. that's my niece. already revolting against "the man," who in this case, happens to be her dad.

2. Calvin reunion in Kalamazoo. it was so refreshing, so fun to see so many friends from college. we ate, retold old stories, updated one another on life, met Jonas!!!, played rock band, and researched colon cleansers. you know, the usual. that day was one of those that left me feeling filled-up and oh so blessed. to be surrounded by people who have known me--and loved me--through the ups and downs of that period of life---i am a lucky lucky girl with wonderful friends. becca, thanks for opening up your in-law's house for us :) (please please express our collective thanks!)

3. Coffee with my mom almost ever morning. Dinner with both parents most nights.

4. FINALLY sneaking brown icing into the cookie decorating supplies. Jeff and I have begged for this for years. We are in our late and mid-twenties (respectively) AND YET, we retain the sense of humor of 7th grade boys.
4a. Other inapporpriate christmas cookies (including, but not limited to, a "victoria's secret" angel. thank you, roff.)

5. The many exploits of joe, kathy, and libby in and around st joe...sledding at grand mere (libby, keep your feet up!), and the fateful night at walgreens stand out as highlights (i will never live that down.) joe also does an amazing impression of our old calculus teacher, mr porter. which never ceases to throw me into a fit of giggles. no. scratch that. uncontrollable silent laughter. gets me every time (i'm not selective....we've already established that)
one of my favorite quotes from our escapades:
"you know what i just realized? oh wait, i didn't just realize that."


6. meeting up with holly (my friend since early childhood) and her mom for dinner and exchanging gifts afterwards at their house. ah friendship that has withstood the test of time. and the girl makes super cute journals. she rips the paper and sews it together by herself. i want to be her customer and buy one for each and every one of YOU.

7. eating christmas cookies. (apparently, the sick-of-christmas-cookies-condition in which i found myself weeks ago turned out to be temporary. who knew? i'm nothing if not resilient.)

8. i got a pink snuggie! pictures on facebook!

9. MAKING MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS (see below). my favorite post-christmas activity.

i was aiming for 10 best-things but i wouldn't want to diminish the gravity of the former nine by simply throwing in another highlight for the heck of it. now. please know that these are not listed in order of importance. although, meeting mia is probably #1. but you would be mistaken if you thought that my snuggie is more important than my resolutions or that brown frosting was more important than spending time with friends. stream of consciousness, my friends.

now. am i ready to finish strong? (only four more months till i graduate!!!!) this remains to be seen. i am so very ready to be done with school, though i am still looking forward to my internship this semester, i will miss seeing my friends in class though (i only have to be at school for my internship supervision--"real" classes as i know them are through). i know i've said it before, but it continues to amaze me how quickly time has flown since moving to indianapolis. the further removed from teaching i become, the more i miss it. i'm about to drop by the school where i once taught, to get my old boss to sign something for my indiana teaching license, and that will surely evoke bittersweet memories from my time there. always does. but i am truly blessed, and i commit this day to basking in the blessings, reflecting on God's faithfulness, his kindness, and his generosity over my whole life, but mostly in the past 2 years.

ahhh life is so so fine indeed.

now, perhaps against my better judgement, i present to you, my 2010 new years resolutions:

They're divided up by three theme verses from the Bible.

Oh! Teach us to live well. Teach us to live wisely and well!
Psalm 90:12 (Message)

What would it look like to live wisely and well in my day-to-day in 2010?

--Ask this of myself before I spent money or time.
--Spiritual disciplines: Read Celebration of Discipline. Practice them.
--Read biographies, nonfiction & learn from them.
--Keep list of books I've read and what I've learned.
--If it's not beautiful or useful, don't buy it.
--Cash for clothes and groceries.
--Healthy eating.
--No pop at home.
--USDA recommendations for fruits and vegetables. yeah, food pyramid!
--Use mornings well:
First 30 minutes of my day to God
--Work out 30-60 minutes each day. No matter what. (and i'm keeping track of it on a calendar, complete with stars for good days! :). Run more races!
--Encourage others (reinstate 1 note/week habit)
--Finish what I start (except poorly written books)
--Cook at home more often. 2-3 times/week.




Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the rock eternal

--What will it look like to trust in the Lord this year?
--Invest in others without expectations to how they will “fill me up” because God is enough.

--Seize opportunities. Make the most of those things that come in my path and trust in God for results. Live Boldly.
--Use my summer well. Take advantage of the time I'm given, be responsible but
unafraid.
--Ask for big things, do hard things, and look for the meaningful in the mundane.
--Check out ministries at church, find niche and invest there!



But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

How can I cultivate a spirit of contentment in my life?

--Choose gratitude, happiness, and contentment. Reflect on blessings of the day in solitude.



so there's that! consider yourself updated. happy new year!